All a bit Emperor’s New Clothes for me. Experience marred by modern NY Yankees hats lying around, modern umbrellas, and warnings about CCTV cameras. Waste of what was probably a good idea. Could work better if you were really alone and not lining up with other visitors to experience the “bonding warmth of a generous… Read More
Author: Jonathan Turton
Everyone’s been raving about this film. I don’t plan to buck the trend. The acting – especially Firth – is superb, and the direction excellent. If I was to quibble, I thought the screenplay was a little clunky at times. It has Oscars written all over it. 9/10
It’s my own fault for leaving it so late. I’m not a big fan of Gauguin, but thought I should check out this blockbuster before it closes on Sunday. Far far far too busy to see much. Couldn’t take it after five minutes and just walked through. Shame, because from what I did see, it… Read More
I feel less qualified to talk about classical music than any other art form, so will just say that I saw Jukka-Pekka Sarastre conduct the London Philharmonic. The programme was Beethoven’s Overture, Egmont followed by Bohuslav Martinů’s Violin Concerto No.2 with Frank Peter Zimmermann as the soloist. After the interval, there was a performance of… Read More
This re-imagining of the classic Christmas ballet is a curious beast. At times Mitteleuropean rock opera, at times slightly amateurish school play, this imaginatively staged production in Hampstead’s minuscule upstairs theatre will not be to everyone’s taste. Little of the original score remains although everyone will recognise the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. It’s… Read More
Hilariously funny, incredibly poignant and brilliantly acted. The script flows effortlessly from believable dialogue to philosophical musing. Musical interludes work well and it’s hard to imagine a more fun evening out in the snow. Go and see Midsummer now. 10/10
The day that London got its head round the imminent closure of Kilburn’s Luminaire saw me there amidst a sea of Canadians listening to Joel Plaskett accompanied by his Dad Bill. Imagine a young Ralph Feinnes crossed with Neil Finn to get a sense of Plaskett’s mix of boyish charm and folk-inspired songs. The crowd… Read More
Four artists on this year’s shortlist: Dexter Dalwood paints expressive luminous pieces full of hidden characters. White Flag was my favourite. Angela de la Cruz’s objets trouvés sculptures are a little harder to love, but still engaging. My favourite was “Untitled” (two large black “boxes” joined together). Susan Philipsz’ sound installation required more time than… Read More
Selection of Muybridge’s early landscape photos before vast numbers of his famous horse-trotting pics and other extracts from Animal Locomotion. Interesting but not compelling. Feels like it’s stretched out to fill the exhibition space. 6/10 Exhibition archive
Stewart Lee – Vegetable Stew
Britain’s least well-known brilliant stand-up Stewart Lee testing out more material for that telly. Mostly genius if at times more theatrical monologue than stand-up comedy but Lee’s audience tends to know what it’s letting itself in for. Still the master of technique – and knows it. 8/10
Astoundingly good production of Arthur Miller’s play about emasculation, identity, and unspoken fears set in late 1930s Brooklyn. Antony Sher is so good as Phillip Gellburg that you can’t imagine anyone else playing the role. 10/10
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWinjN Fantastic moody drama from Gary “The Shield” Lennon. Sexual tension between all the characters, great punk soundtrack, barely suppressed violence and snappy banter. Excellent cast, especially Natalie Dormer as Pat, the central character. Don’t mess about, this play’s only on until November 27th. Go and see it. Now. 8/10 (you can also read a… Read More
100 Years of Iconic London Transport Posters
Claire Dobbin, senior curator at the London Transport Museum rattled through a century of posters in 45 minutes, doing a fantastic job of covering both the design philosophies, the artists and the social messages of each period. 8/10
Excellent film by Jason Chadwick based on a true story about a former Mau Mau fighter who wants to learn but has much to teach. Great acting and cinematography, with brief moments of intense violence. Contrasts rural and urban modern Kenya very well. 8/10
Ben Affleck gives us an improbable car chase and a lot more action than this story needed. Interesting idea, with some nice touches, but leaves the big stuff unexplored. 5/10
As powerful 30 years later as it was at the time. Many scenes are part of cinema folklore now, but even if you’ve seen the clips, the intensity of De Niro throughout reminds those who only know him from Meet the Parents onwards that he was the defining film star of the 70s, 80s and… Read More
This isn’t really a travel book, but Newby’s standing as a travel writer is enough to justify its inclusion here. The author describes his amazing experiences during the Second World War after he escaped the clutches of his Italian guards in a PoW hospital and – aided by some brave locals – headed for the… Read More
Excellent and surprising Korean film about a mother who will stop at nothing for her son. Hye-ja Kim is mesmerising as the Mother. 9/10
Baffling but cooly brilliant. Suspend belief and just go with it. 8/10
Quite simply one of the worst films I’ve ever seen. Less style over substance and more concept over coherence. And the concept isn’t that great either. Also possibly worse in 3D. 1/10